Brazil judge issues restraining order that allows Uber and other ride apps to operate in Rio

A taxi driver holds a toy car during a protest against the ride-booking company Uber, next to City Hall in downtown Sao Paulo, Brazil, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2015. The text on the toy car reads in Portuguese "Uber out." Sao Paulo will introduce new regulations to govern Uber instead of banning it. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
(The Associated Press)

RIO DE JANEIRO – A Brazilian judge has issued a temporary restraining order against recently approved legislation that bans the use of smartphone-based ride-hailing-apps like Uber in Rio de Janeiro, the country's second largest city.

The Rio de Janeiro State Judiciary Department says in a statement posted on its website that the order was signed Thursday by Judge Monica Ribeiro Teixeira.

The restraining order comes 10 days after Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes signed legislation passed by the city council banning Uber and similar technologies from operating in the city of Rio de Janeiro.